AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday said Islamophobia was being spread in the country, resulting in incident of lynching of Muslims.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday said Islamophobia was being spread in the country, resulting in incident of lynching of Muslims.

Condemning the lynching of a 17-year-old youth on a train in Haryana, Owaisi said a hate atmosphere was being created.

“I called this atmosphere Islamophobia. Those creating Islamophobia are responsible for lynching of Muslims in the name of cow, religion or beard,” he told reporters here.

The Hyderabad MP was reacting to Friday’s incident in Haryana in which four Muslim boys were attacked by a group of people after an altercation and one of the victims, Junaid, died. The were returning to their village in Haryana from Delhi after Eid shopping.

Owaisi also condemned the lynching of a police officer by a mob outside Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid. “I condemn the lynching of DYSP Ayub and that too on the holy night and near Jamia Masjid,” he said adding that there is no difference between those who lynched Ayub and those who are lynching Muslims in the name of cow or religion.

“There is no difference whatsoever. They can’t be called human beings and need to be condemned,” he said.

The MP said the incident shows the misgoveranance by BJP and PDP which were in power in Jammu and Kashmir. He said they were clueless on what was happening on ground. He said the two parties had made tall promises and assurances but nothing happened.

Owaisi said BJP’s choice of Ram Nath Kovind as its candidate for the post of President showed that it wants to convert India into a “Hindu rashtra”.

“President of India’s post is a Constitutional post. If a person aspiring to become the President of India holds the view that minorities which includes Muslims and Christians are alien to this nation, what kind of confidence this candidate or his party is creating in the Constitution. What kind of message they are sending to minorities?” he asked.

Owaisi said Kovind was repeating “ideology of Sarvarkar, Golwalkar and RSS”. On BJP’s criticism that he is doing communal politics over the issue, he said the party should clarify whether Kovind made this statement or not.